


Harmed Harmony

by StutteryPrince



Category: Skullgirls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-07-01 06:23:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15768405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StutteryPrince/pseuds/StutteryPrince
Summary: It was quiet and normally, Big Band would have loved that this late into the night, but this felt off. It was far too quiet, far too peaceful for Lab 8. There was no screaming from kids being caught staying up by Ileum, no sound of Peacock’s TV from the other room, none of the usual dull thudding from Stanley’s lab down the hall.It was completely and utterly, absolutely, positively peacefully silent.And Big Band was hating every second of it.Something had to be wrong.-----------------------------A commission for nazo677!





	Harmed Harmony

**Author's Note:**

> Aw hell yeah

It was quiet and normally, Big Band would have loved that this late into the night, but this felt  _ off _ . It was far  _ too _ quiet, far too  _ peaceful _ for Lab 8. There was no screaming from kids being caught staying up by Ileum, no sound of Peacock’s TV from the other room, none of the usual dull thudding from Stanley’s lab down the hall.

 

It was completely and utterly, absolutely, positively peacefully  _ silent. _

 

And Big Band was hating every second of it.

 

There was no way he could sleep like this, the silence causing anxiety to rise within his mind and forcing his eyes open every few minutes. He groaned, sitting up a bit further away from the wall and glancing about his room. He needed some kind of  _ noise _ or else he was never going to get any rest. He huffed as he stood, reaching over and gently picking up his radio, but just as he was about to flip the switch to turn it on, the sound of one of the old windows squealing open caught his attention.

 

He fell silent as he listened, pressing his ear against his door as he tried to listen to whoever had just snuck into their home. His first guess was Peacock and her crew with how many voices he was hearing, but the foot falls were much too heavy against the old floorboards and the whispering voices were far too deep to belong to the majority of her crew, Tommy being the only one to talk that low. These people clearly had never been here, for anyone who was trying to avoid detection from either him or Ileum knew better than to be making all these mistakes. 

 

He placed one of his smaller hands on the doorknob, only turning it about half way before the sound of another door creaking caused him to stop. Though it was only for a split second, the sound of Peacock shouting an annoyed, “HEY!” reached him, but it was quickly followed by a door clicking shut, cutting her off.

 

He was quiet for a moment, leaning harder against the door as panic bubbled in his chest, before throwing his door open and nearly yanking Peacock’s off the hinges as he pulled it open.

 

“Peacock? Are you o-”

 

“BACK OFF, BUDDY!”

 

Big Band instinctively ducked at the sound of Peacock’s gun firing, the fire adding a flash of light other than just the TV. He looked up to see her fending off at least two offenders with the rest of her crew off fighting the other four on their own. Avery was perched on her shoulder with a scowl on his beak, his clearly loaded shotgun pointed at the two in front of them.

 

“Back up, you creeps,” he threatened darkly, cocking the weapon.

 

Big Band heard a footstep and he tensed, watching them move toward her in the dimly lit darkness.

 

“Just come along quietly. If you do so, we won’t hurt you.”

 

Peacock fired another round, one that very deliberately went between them. Another warning.

 

“What do ya want with  _ me?” _

 

“Oh, young one, it’s not what  _ we  _ want, but rather what other people want. You ASG Units are very...resourceful, you know. Very  _ valuable _ to society, if you will.”

 

Peacock’s gun started rattling. She was shaking. She knew exactly what they were talking about. If they got her she was going to be sold.  _ Again. _ She couldn’t do that again. No, not again, jesus christ, not again. Panic seized her, her finger falling away from the trigger for a moment as flashbacks began to crowd her. This..This wasn’t her, she was cowering, she wasn’t standing up for herself. She was becoming helpless, not even Avery’s snapping and squawking was bringing her out of it.

 

“There’s no need to be afraid, little one. Just come with us, it’ll all be o-!!”

 

“KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF HER!”

 

Peacock’s eyes refocused as the noise of cymbals crashing rang through the air, followed by one of the offenders shrieking. She looked up as she gripped her gun to her chest, ready to fire, but she calmed once she was able to make out the familiar shape of-

 

“Big Band?”

 

He glanced at her over his shoulder, his cybernetic eyes glowing warmly in the dim light of the staticy TV, but they were filled with nothing but pure concern for her. He lowered his other cymbal down next to her, gently sliding her closer to him as he continued to hold the other protectively in front of them.

 

“You alright, little bird?” he asked in a voice much softer than the one he used before, half kneeling on the ground next to her.

 

“Yeah...Yeah, I’m good. Thanks.”

 

Big Band gave her a smile before his lips fell into a scowl, his face illuminated by the shine of the tv as he rose back to his full height. He lowered his cymbals, glaring at the offenders they staggered back to their feet, one of them shaking their wrist from when Big Band had knocked them away. The one who wasn’t injured let out a quiet noise, eyeing Big Band up and down in a way that made him vaguely uncomfortable.

 

Big Band grimaced and shifted his attention away from them, instead fixing himself on the other as they finally got their bearings again, chuckling even as they hissed at the dulling pain.

 

“Honestly, we had only planned on taking one of you, but I suppose double the ASG Units means double the money,” The other mused once he had recovered, cracking his neck as he pulled a gun from his belt. “You’ll both be coming with us.”

 

Big Band sighed while Peacock scoffed, both of them rolling their eyes at the boldness of the threat. Were these people serious? They didn’t say anything as they stood next to one another, taking fight stances as their eyes narrowed.

 

“If you leave now, we won’t have to hurt you,” Big Band warned, pulling a Brass Knuckle from his coat as Peacock loaded her canon onto her shoulder.

 

“Hurt  _ us? _ Oh please, you’re built for taking down  _ Skullgirls _ , not trained agents like us.”

 

Peacock tittered, lighting the cannon with her cigar as she flicked it to the ground.

 

“Suit yaself!”

 

The cannon fired as Big Band stomped the ground, using a Giant Step to shake the room and knock the agents off their balance. The cannonball slammed into them both, pinning them to the other wall. One agent recovered quicker than the other, running toward them again and firing off their gun, but Big Band simply parried the bullet with his cymbal.

 

He nodded to Peacock before transforming into a French horn, rocketing forward at alarming speeds. The second agent didn't even time to fire their weapon, Peacock having ducked into one of her toonholes and appeared behind them with her spiked bat at the ready. She swung it fast and hard, striking the agent in the back and sending them flying into Big Band's attack before diving into another hole to avoid it herself.

 

Big Band crashed them into the wall, kicking off it and skidding back next to Peacock as she reappeared. One agent coughed, spitting a bloody tooth onto the floor as they growled.

 

“We gave you the option yo come peacefully.” The other agent wiped their bloody nose, pulling a knife from their pocket. _ “You should have taken it _ .”

 

The agent whistled sharply, catching the attention of the others and pulling them away from their fights. Big Band sighed heavily, subtly motioning for the rest of Peacock’s crew to back up and let them deal with this.

 

“You got a plan, Big Bird?” Peacock whispered, stepping back in time with him as the agents advanced.

 

“I'm open to suggestions.”

 

“Lucky for you, I got an idea.”

 

Peacock jammed her arms into her hat, teleporting one of her hands over to the door and slamming it closed, while the other shut off the TV to leave them all in total darkness. She and Big Band could see just fine, their eyes having built in night vision for obvious purposes, but the same couldn’t be said for the now blind agents.

 

“You filthy cheaters!” 

 

There was a flash of light as a bullet ricocheted off of one of Big Band’s cymbals, the ASG Units ducking behind it as they shifted away from their position quietly.

 

“Good idea, P, but now what?” Big Band whispered, watching as the agent waved the gun around.

 

“Launch me into the air with one of ya cymbals then use that move where you summon all the band podiums and stuff! I’ll handle the rest.” Peacock groaned through her teeth when he blinked, either in confusion or astonishment, shaking his coat. “C’mon, Big Bird, just trust me!”

 

Big Band sighed but gave her a firm nod, lowering his cymbal so she could climb on. He flung her into the air, the sound of her jumping off catching the attention of the agents. They turned to him sharply, their guns cocking.

 

“There you are!”

 

“Now, Band!”

 

_ “Strike up the band!” _

 

Big Band slammed his foot on the ground, spawning the podiums and their trumpets, knocking the agents into the air and blasting them with the missiles. Big Band glanced up, trying not to fall out of his position and end his attack. What was she waiting for?

 

“Peacock,” he called, dragging her name out urgently.

 

“Don’t worry, Brassafrass, I said I’d handle it!”

 

There was a hum as a bright red light shone above him, Big Band tilting his head up as a proud smirk spread across his face. He rose back to his full height, tittering to himself as he watched her Argus eyes multiply and rise like peacock feathers.

 

_ “Argus AGONY!” _

 

“Classic Peac _ -GUK!” _

 

Peacock cackled as her laser fired, piercing the agent in front while the others pelted the remaining agents behind them. They fell limp when the attack ended, the girl lighting back down to the ground with a smug smile on her face.

 

“We told ya to back off. Ya shoulda taken it,” she spat at the offenders, not caring if they were either dead or unconscious, as she turned to Big Band. “Heh. We make a damn good team, ey’ Windwood?”

 

Peacock flinched when he let out a choked noise, all her fixing on him as her crew came out of their hiding places. He was kneeling heavily, panting as he stared shakily at nothing.

 

“Windwood? You okay?”

 

Big Band made a retching noise, coughing hard as his knees buckled and he doubled over. Peacock gasped and placed a hand on his shoulder, but flinched back when she felt something wet coat her glove.

 

“O...Oil?” Her eyes widened. “Oh no.”

 

Big Band looked up at her with clear worry and terror in his eyes, his breathing becoming shallow and harsh as he coughed again. It was now that she could see at  _ least _ five bullet holes and a  _ knife _ pierced through his coat and into his body, each wound leaking a mix of oil and blood, but what worried her were the two holes on the left side of his chest. Shit, they all must of shot him while she was charging her attack! She dropped to her knees in front of him, struggling to hold him up. 

 

“P...Patric..ia,” he rasped.

 

“Don't worry, Ben. _ Tommy!” _

 

The weight rushed over, holding him up on his back while Peacock and Andy ran to the door. They scrambled down the hallway, urgently calling Stanley. Tommy pat Big Band's shoulder as he coughed again, his eyes rolling up in the back of his head as he fell limp.

**Author's Note:**

> is he dead i dunno maybe


End file.
